MN 91/30- Ok to adjust front sight?

So I just bought my first centerfire rifle a few days ago, a very nice condition Izhevsk 1942 91/30 Nagant. I have read that these rifles were generally sighted in with the spike bayonet attached. I fired mine for the first time today, and noted that my shots were hitting 2-3 inches to the right at 15-20 yards (I know, I don't have much room to shoot it yet). This was without the bayonet attached. I do have the bayonet that came with the rifle, but I am reluctant to be attaching it and removing it for firing as it is a very snug fit and it really scratches the hell out of the barrel and front sight when I put it on.

I want this rifle to hit to POA as I intend to use it to take hogs soon. I also want very much to keep it as original and historically correct as possible. This gun is in great shape and there will be no sporterizing, accurizing, shortening, refinishing, drilling, dremeling or anything like that done to it by me :)

That being the case, is it considered bad to adjust the front sight to match POI without the bayonet?

I know this is a $100 rifle either way (at best), but would this be something that would be a negative to a collector?

I bought my 91/30 to use in military match and had no qualms about drifting the front sight to zero windage without the bayonet.

I don't think a collector would care that the front sight was adjusted to POA.

M91/30

July 29, 2011, 05:34 PM

Well to be honest, they dont really have collector value, and if they did, Im pretty sure that shooting it wouldn't help it. Unless you got a pristine, above average, crafted by Stalin himself. :P Make it into a shooter, absolutely nothing wrong with maintaining the orignal look, but i find that things like doing some trigger work and adjusting the sights are only going to make it better for you and to anyone who may own it in the future. This is however coming from the guy who Refinished his to a Nice reddish coulour just like it came. And smoothed out the action then sighted it in so I can shoot >4moa at 100yds. Up to you though.

ball3006

July 29, 2011, 08:54 PM

Collectability of a Mosin Nagant depends on who made it and when. Also, where did it serve. I have seen many Mosin Nagants that would be worth many hundreds of dollars customized by bubba making them almost worthless. Go to 7.62x54r.net to see what you got before hacking the rifle up. Shooting a valuable rifle does not hurt it if you realize that most surplus ammo is corrosive and you have to clean after shooting or the bore will rust into a sewer pipe.....chris3

vellocet

July 29, 2011, 08:58 PM

If it was worth anything it would have been pulled before you got it. Listen to m91/30.And enjoy shooting, aim surplus still has some good deals on ammo.

rondog

July 29, 2011, 09:04 PM

Only reason they were sighted in with the bayonet attached is because they usually left the bayonet on. The M44's should be fired with the bayonet extended. But since you'll never use your 91/30 with the bayonet on (I assume), it should be sighted in without it. Sight it in in the configuration you plan to use it in. But I'd do it at 100 yards, at least. It will likely hit high at 100 yards too. Some guys will slip a piece of electrical wire insulation over the front sight post to make it a little taller to compensate for shooting high.

lencac

July 29, 2011, 09:09 PM

By all means adjust, adjust ...................... without bayo

Konstantin835

July 29, 2011, 09:17 PM

Thats funny, I got a 42' Izhevsk 91/30 as my first center fire rifle just a week or 2 ago and was also wondering about sight adjustment. Do you use a punch or is there a special tool for it? I gave it a quick try and it seemed very hard to adjust.

RevolvingGarbage

July 30, 2011, 01:13 PM

Thats funny, I got a 42' Izhevsk 91/30 as my first center fire rifle just a week or 2 ago and was also wondering about sight adjustment. Do you use a punch or is there a special tool for it? I gave it a quick try and it seemed very hard to adjust.
I decided to adjust it yesterday. I put the barrel in a vise (carefully!) and with a few taps from a brass punch and a ball peen hammer, it was right where I thought it should be. I went out to the back yard and put 5 rounds into a paper plate, dead center from 20 yards.

I really want to find somewhere I can shoot at a longer range to really wring this rifle out!